Student Loan Payment Burden (% of Discretionary Income)
20.0% — up from 16.0% a year ago, one of every five dollars earned
What is the current Student Loan Payment Burden (% of Discretionary Income)?
Student Loan Payment Burden (% of Discretionary Income): 20% as of 2024, and worsening. Source: Department of Education / FSA.
20% of student loan borrowers behind on payments — back to pre-pandemic distress
Payment pause masked distress 2020-2022. First full post-restart year matches 2018 levels.
Explore Further
How has Student Loan Payment Burden (% of Discretionary Income) changed over time?
Most affected counties
Counties with the highest housing cost burden scores in the County Distress Index.
Explore all 3,144 counties →| Period | Value | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 20% | +4.0 pts |
| 2023 | 16% | +1.0 pts |
| 2022 | 15% | — |
| 2019 | 17% | −3.0 pts |
| 2018 | 20% | — |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Student Loan Payment Burden (% of Discretionary Income)?
20.0% — up from 16.0% a year ago, one of every five dollars earned
Why does Student Loan Payment Burden (% of Discretionary Income) matter for financial distress?
Student Loan Payment Burden (% of Discretionary Income) is one of the indicators tracked by the American Distress Index (ADI), which measures five dimensions of U.S. household financial distress: Buffer Depletion, Debt Stress, Financial Conditions, Cost Pressure, and Labor Market disruption. Changes in this indicator contribute to the overall distress picture.
Where does the Student Loan Payment Burden (% of Discretionary Income) data come from?
This data comes from Department of Education / FSA. More information: https://studentaid.gov/data-center/student/portfolio. The American Distress Index updates this indicator annual.
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